Device for swabbing the bore of a musical instrument

ABSTRACT

A device for removing moisture from, and cleaning the bore of, a clarinet, saxophone, or the like, musical instrument. In its preferred form, the device comprises a generally triangularly shaped body portion formed of a flexible foamed plastics material such as polyurethane, and a similarly shaped cover sheet formed of a moisture-absorbent material such as chamois. The cover sheet is of a size such that the side margins thereof extend beyond the corresponding margins of the body portion. The body portion and the cover sheet are secured to one another at an apex thereof, and a flexible cord is provided for the device to enable it to be pulled through the bore of a musical instrument.

United States Patent Kafkis June 19, 1973 DEVICE FOR 'SWABBING THE BORE or A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT [52] US. Cl. 15/211, 15/104.165, 15/118 [51] Int. Cl. 1308b 9/02, Gl0d 9/00 [58] Field of Search 15/104.16, 104.165,

15/1 18, 208, 209 R, 210 R, 211, 223, 244 B,

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,100,968 4/1955 France....; l5/244C Primary ExaminerDaniel Blum AttorneySidney Wallenstein, Charles B. Spangenberg, Russell E. Hattis et al.

[57] ABSTRACT A device for removing moisture from, and cleaning the bore of, a clarinet, saxophone,'or the like, musical instrument. In its preferred form, the device comprises a generally triangularly shaped body portion formed of a flexible foamed plastics material such as polyurethane, and a similarly shaped cover sheet formed of a moisture-absorbent material such as chamois. The cover sheet is of a size such that the side margins thereof extend beyond the corresponding margins of the body portion. The body portion and the cover sheet are secured to one another at an apex thereof, and a flexible cord is provided for the device to enable it to be pulled through the bore of a musical instrument.

7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTED JUN 9575 3.739.420

DEVICE FOR SWABBING THE BORE OF A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT The present invention relates to an improved device for removing moisture from, and cleaning the bore of, a musical instrument such as a clarinet, saxophone, or the like.

Devices for removing foreign matter, including moisture, from the bore, sound chamber, slide chamber, or the like, of a musical instrument have long been in use. These prior devices, as they have evolved over the years, have taken many forms, and, while seeking to satisfy a particular need, each, generally speaking, has one or more shortcomings, chief among which are the tendency of the swab or patch of the devices to assume an irregular shape when compressed in the bore thereby making effective removal of foreign matter from the bore difficult to attain; the need for attaching a separate swab or patch of a particular shape to the device before each use; the use of exposed metallic parts which damage the walls of the bore as the swab or patch is passed therethrough; the inability of the swab or patch to easily conform to variations in diameter in the bore thereby requiring the user, especially in the cleaning of a small bore, to exert considerable force to pull the compressed swab or patch through the bore; and the utilization of special structural features which, among other things, increases the manufacturing costs,

' and the ultimate purchase price of the devices to the user.

In accordance with the present invention, an improved device for swabbing and cleaning the bore of a musical instrument is provided which overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages of prior bore cleaning devices. The device of this invention is capable of conforming to the shape of a bore, irrespective of even sudden or abrupt variations in diameter of the bore, while continuously maintaining optimum contact between the cleaning and moisture-absorbing element thereof and the wall of the bore as the device is. passed therethrough. The ability of the device to easily conform to the shape of the bore enables the device to be passed therethrough with minimum effort on the part of the user. The cleaning and moisture-absorbing element of the device is a permanent part thereof, and can itself be cleaned, as by washing, for re-use without having to separate it from the device. The device, furthermore, is'fabricated of soft, pliable materials thereby minimizing the possibility of damage to musical instruments. In addition, the ready availability of the materials used, coupled with the simple design and easy assembly of the elements of the device, enables it to be manufactured at a low cost.

Briefly, the device of the present invention comprises a generally triangularly shaped body portion formed of a resilient, flexible sheet of a cellular foamed material, and a correspondingly shaped thin, flexible, moistureabsorbent cover sheet for the body portion. The cover sheet is secured to the body portion at an apex thereof in a manner to enable the corresponding apex of the cover sheet to beinverted to provide a shield or protective layer for the fastening means used to secure the cover sheet to the body portion. The size of the cover sheet is such that the side and base margins thereof advantageously extend beyond the adjacent side and base margins of the body portion. The resilient body portion is relatively thick in relation to the thickness of the cover portion, and is readily both flexible and compressible thereby enabling the body portion, and the cover sheet carried by it, to conform to variations in the diameter of a bore as the device traverses the bore. The resilient character of the bodyportion, and its size in relation to the cover sheet, serve to maintain a substantial area of the outer surface of the cover sheet in contact with the wall of the bore to provide excellent cleaning and moisture-absorbing action. A weighted, flexible cord is provided for the device, and preferably is attached thereto at the point at which the body portion and the cover sheet are fastened together.

The foregoing, and other features and advantages of the device will be more fully understood from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view in elevation of one side of an embodiment of the device;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary end view in elevation of said embodiment at to the view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view in elevation of the other side of said embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary exploded view of said embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side view in elevationof said embodiment, corresponding to the view of FIG. 1, showing one means of securing the various elements of the device together; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view in perspective of said embodiment of the device as used to remove foreign matter from the bore of a clarinet, a portion of the clarinet being broken away to show the manner in which the device conforms to the shape of the bore as it is passed therethrough. r

Referring, now, in greater detail to thedrawing, the embodiment of the device 10 illustrated comprises a generally triangularly shaped body portion 12 and a correspondingly shaped cover sheet 14. The triangular shape of the body portion 12 and the cover sheet 14 may correspond to that of an isosceles triangle, but, preferably, more closely corresponds to that of an equilateral triangle. As shown, the size of the cover sheet 14 is such that the side and base margins 14a-14a and 14b, respectively, thereof extend beyond the corresponding side and base margins l2a-12a and 12b, respectively, of the body portion 12.

The body portion 12 has a thickness which is appreciably greater than that of the cover sheet 14, and ad vantageously is fabricated of a flexible sheet of a resilient foamed material. Excellent results are attained with an open-cell, flexible foamed plastics material such as polyurethane having a density of the order of about 2 to about 20, preferably about 4 to about 10, pounds per cubic foot. Other foamed materials which can be employed are polyvinyl chloride foams, latex foams, and the like. The thickness of the foamed material used to form the body portion 12 can range from about 1/l6th inch to about one-half inch, with a thickness in the range of about one-eighth inch to one-fourth inch being preferred.

The cover sheet 14 is fabricated of a flexible, soft, non-abrasive, moisture-absorbent material. A particularly preferred material is chamois. Other materials which can be used are soft felt or soft, woven fabric.

As illustrated, the device 10 includes a flexible cord 16. The cord 16 desirably is fabricated of a material such as cotton, nylon, or the like, and is of sufficient length to pass completely through the bore of an instrument, or section thereof, such as a clarinet or saxophone.

Inassembling the device 10, the apex 120 of the body portion 12 is positioned in alignment with, but below, the apex 14c of the cover sheet 14. One end of the cord 16, which is knotted as at 16a, is then placed on the body portion 12 so that the cord 16 is in substantial alignment with the apex 12c thereof and the apex 140 of the cover sheet 14. All three elements are then fastened together by means of a clip 18. The clip 18 may be made of metal, rubber, or plastic.

In its initial assembled condition, as best shown in FIG; 5, the apex 140 of the cover sheet 14 extends appreciably above the clip 18. The apex 14c advantageously is inverted, or folded back over the outer surface of the cover sheet 14 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. In its inverted, or folded position, the apex 140 provides a protective cover for the clip 18, and at the same time presents a smooth, thickened, substantially uniform leading end for the device which facilitates passage of the device through the bore of an instrument.

In FIG. 6, the device 10, is shown being used to remove foreign matter from the bore of a clarinet 22. To this end, the cord 16 is first passed through the bore 22a of the clarinet 22. This operation can be facilitated by providing the free end of the cord 16 with a weight in the form of a metal or plastic ferrule 20. As the device is pulled into the bore 22a by means of the cord 16, the body portion 12 and the cover sheet 14 flex inwardly, into a generally conical shape, to conform to the configuration of the outer end of the bore 220. Further movement of the device into the bore 22 causes the device to assume a generally cylindrical configuration. At all times during the passage of the device through the bore 22a, the resilient character of the body portion 12 urges a substantial area of the outer surface of the cover sheet 14 against the wall of the bore, and prevents the cover sheet 14 from assuming a shape which may impair the swabbing action of the cover sheet 14. Full benefit of the cleaning and moisture-absorbing properties of the cover sheet 14 is thereby realized. If desired, the device can be passed through the bore two, or more, times to assure thorough removal of foreign matter.

While for purposes of illustration a preferred-embodiment of this invention has been shown and described, other forms thereof may become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to this disclosure and, therefore, it should be understood that any such departures from the specific embodiment shown and described are intended to fall within the spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for removing moisture from, and cleaning the bore of, a clarinet, saxophone, or the like, musical instrument, comprising a generally triangularly shaped body portion formed of a resilient, flexible sheet of a foamed material, a thin, flexible, moisture-absorbent, generally triangularly shaped cover sheet for the resilient body portion, said cover sheet being joined to the resilient body portion at a corner thereof and being of a size such that the side margins of the cover sheet extend beyond the corresponding margins of the resilient body portion, and a cord attached to the device at the juncture of the cover sheet with the resilient body portion for pulling the device through a bore, the resilient body portion acting to maintain a substantial area of the cover sheet in contact with the wall of the bore as the device is pulled through the bore by the cord, the cover sheet acting to overlie the resilient body portion and to assume with the resilient body portion the configuration of the bore as it is passed therethrough irrespective of variations in the diameter of the bore.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the body portion has a thickness which is appreciably greater than that of the cover sheet. 1

3. A device according to claim 1 wherein the triangular shape of the body portion and the cover sheet is substantially equilateral.

4. A device according to claim 1 wherein the cover sheet and the cord are secured to the body portion by a single clip.

5. A device according to claim 1 wherein the body portion is formed of a sheet of a flexible, open-cell, foamed plastics material.

6. A device according to claim 5 wherein the foamed plastics material is polyurethane foam.

7. A device according to claim 1 wherein the cover sheet is attached to the body portion at one apex thereof, the apex of the cover sheet extending beyond the point of attachment a distance sufficient to enable it to be folded back over a portion of the cover sheet, thereby to provide a smooth, substantially uniform leading end for the device.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORREC'NON Patent No. 3,739,420 Dated June 1973 Inventor( s) N cholas H. Kafkis It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent. are hereby corrected as shown below:

On the cover sheet cancel "[73] Assignee: Reco" Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa.".

Signed and sealed this 26th day of February l974.

(SEAL) Attestz EDWARD M.FLETCHE:R,JR. g gfgjw DANN Attesting Officer loner of nts F ORM PO-1050 (10 69) USCOMM'DC 60376-P69 a u.'s. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE nu O-3l6-884,

,UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 739- 420 Dated June 19 i 1973 Inventor(s) cholas H. Kafkis a It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

On the cover sheet cancel "[73] Assignee: Reco' Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa.".

Signed and sealed this 26th day of February l974.

(SEAL) Attest:

I f I C. MARSHALL DANN EDWARD.M'FLET(.:HERJR Commissioner of Patents Attestlng Offlcer FORM PO-105O (10-69) USCOlMM-DC 60376-1 6 ufs. covzmmnn' manna ornc: no oau-a 

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein the body portion has a thickness which is appreciably greater than that of the cover sheet.
 3. A device according to claim 1 wherein the triangular shape of the body portion and the cover sheet is substantially equilateral.
 4. A device according to claim 1 wherein the cover sheet and the cord are secured to the body portion by a single clip.
 5. A device according to claim 1 wherein the body portion is formed of a sheet of a flexible, open-cell, foamed plastics material.
 6. A device according to claim 5 wherein the foamed plastics material is polyurethane foam.
 7. A device according to claim 1 wherein the cover sheet is attached to the body portion at one apex thereof, the apex of the cover sheet extending beyond the point of attachment a distance sufficient to enable it to be folded back over a portion of the cover sheet, thereby to provide a smooth, substantially uniform leading end for the device. 